Regulation
by PhantomSilverCrystal
Summary: ONE-SHOT- He does what's practical. She follows the rules. She was only trying to loosen up. He was ready to go one step farther. SPD fluff. SkyZ.


**A.N.: This is a fluffy little one-shot centered around that overwhelming feeling of sexual tension I got when watching SPD. I guess the theme is a little mature, but I think that we can handle it... I really don't think it needs an M rating, but just so you know... This fic is basically about underwear. Not in a dirty or perverted way, I swear. It's good, clean Sky-Z back and forth and I sincerely hope you enjoy it :)  
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Where could they be? The new panties Z had splurged on were missing. She had pulled out every drawer and stuffed the clothes back in when she found they weren't in any of them. She didn't even really need them, but seeing they weren't where she left them (top drawer, hidden behind a few pairs of socks) Z became immediately concerned that someone had found them. Z hardly ever bought new underwear. It wasn't practical to spend a lot of money on frilly under-things that no one but she would ever see and frankly, she found the idea of sexy underwear embarrassing. At least, that's what she had thought, before. She had only really bought them for one reason.

That reason was six feet tall with a killer smile and, she had a feeling, a love of fancy underwear.

A week earlier, Sky Tate had been in the laundry room when she walked in, basket full of dirty clothes in tow. He was sitting casually by the dryers and when he looked up from his magazine, she had seriously thought about turning around and leaving. Then he smiled and she had to stay. She fought herself not to smile back. Smiling back could lead to a conversation and a conversation with Sky would just make her love him more. In their situation, that could only lead to very bad things.

"Delgado," He said by way of greeting, a smirk still playing on his lips.

"Tate." She set her basket on a machine and tried to pretend that he wasn't there. These feelings were bad news, she told herself. Not Sky, not now. This was just some schoolgirl crush she was going to have to get over. She just had to focus on the task at hand: laundry. She wished that she could wash away feelings as easily as superficial dirt. A little water, a little soap, and her clothes wouldn't show any trace of being dirty. Soap. Damn. Z realized she had forgotten the detergent in her room. She turned to Sky, who was once again reading. She cleared her throat, causing him to look up. "Could you watch my stuff real quick? I gotta make a run back to my room… Forgot the detergent."

"That's silly. Your room's on the other side of the base," Sky said, grabbing something from the caddy on the floor. Moving over to her, he added, "You can use mine." He handed her a blue bottle. Turning it over in her hand, she saw the label in all its bolded glory. It was something so wonderfully _Sky_ that she couldn't help but laugh. Only he would do something that obsessively organized.

"If found return to Schuyler Tate, B-Squad." She read aloud. Z looked up at him. "This is a joke right? You don't really label your soap."

"So what if I do?" He defended. "It's practical."

She scoffed. "Do you always do the practical thing?"

"Look who's talking," Sky folded his arms and rolled his eyes. "You're just as bad as I am. I mean, look at these." He reached over and pulled a pair of her white cotton briefs out of the laundry basket. "These," He said stretching the elastic for emphasis, "Now, _these_ are regulation."

Horrified, Z snatched them from his hands. Quickly tucking them back into the basket, she tried to make herself taller. She growled. "At least I don't write my name in them."

He took her by the shoulders and looked her square in the eyes. She didn't know how to react. Her body was telling her to jump his bones right then and there, but her logical side was nagging at her with a million reasons that it would be a bad idea. He inched closer. Was he going to say something? Or worse…

"Is everything okay in here?" Bridge's innocent voice called from the door. Pulling the leather glove off his left hand, he scanned the room. Bright purple.

"Everything is fine." Z answered quickly, turning back to the washing machine and shrugging his hands off her, though she didn't want to. His hands had felt good. Strong. Shadows and whispers of the touch screamed for his hands to return and let her feel him again.

"Fine." He agreed, with a sting in his voice. He collected his things. "Keep the soap."

"What about the label? If I lose it, it'll come back to you!" Z called after him as he stormed out of the room.

In the week that followed, she couldn't help but replay the scene over and over again in her mind. Every time she caught a whiff of her clothes, which now smelled of his soap, she remembered the word he had used. Regulation. Was that a bad thing? She couldn't decide. It had sounded so much like an insult, but what was wrong with being a rule follower? She had certainly broken a lot of rules back in the day. Maybe she was making up for it. Either way, she had to prove him wrong, and that's why she had bought the missing panties, and why he couldn't find out about them. He would see it as a victory, and if there was one thing worse than falling for Sky, it was letting him win.

"Delgado!" A low voice from behind her now boomed, causing her to jump. Startled, Z turned to find Sky standing in the doorway. The very pair of her underwear that she'd been looking for dangled off the crook of his index finger. "You seem to be missing something," He smirked.

"You've gotta be kidding me." She whined at the sight. "How did you find out about…"

"I have my sources."

Syd. She would pay for it later.

Marching over to him, she made a grab for the panties, but she wasn't quick enough. He held them over his head, well out of reach. "Hey! I'm serious, mister. Give those back!"

"No can do, cadet." His voice was authoritative and serious. If she didn't know better, Z might think he was trying to intimidate her. Unfortunately for his act, the grin would not leave his lips. "It would appear as though you are in possession of wildly out of regulation undergarments. I'm afraid that's grounds for confiscation."

"Is that so?" She said, pressing up against him. Her proximity caused him to sharply inhale, growing more and more uncomfortable as she continued. "Well, I don't remember giving those to you, so I think it's safe to say that they were acquired in a non-protocol fashion. According to the SPD handbook, any and all personal belongings may not be tampered with or removed from the dorm of their owner with out that owner's permission. Cadet Tate, I believe you're in violation of SPD code."

"Well, then I guess we're just a couple of rule breakers." He twirled the fabric around his finger like a gun in an old movie before shoving it into his back pocket, smiling to himself all the while. "Although, I think it's fair to say that you got these for me, anyway."

"As if." Z slapped his arm in frustration. He grabbed her wrist and held her in place.

"Why can't you just admit that you've got the hots for me?" He challenged, the look from the laundry room returning to his eyes. Sky blinked, waiting for her response.

"Who says I do?" She spat the words.

"Me." He pressed forward, letting their lips almost touch. Z closed her eyes in anticipation. He was going to kiss her; she could feel it in her bones. He pulled back and let go of her wrist, having won the reaction he was looking for. "And you, I guess. Actions speak louder than words, don't they?"

Deciding to give in, Z pulled Sky to her level by the collar of his uniform, and catching him by surprise, mashed her lips against his. His hands flew to the back of her head in reply, combing his fingers through her hair. Suddenly, she pulled away. "This is a bad idea." It didn't bother him in the slightest. He cupped her face and tucked the hair behind her ears.

"So what?" He kissed her once more, deeper than before. Her hands on his chest roamed momentarily, before pushing him back.

"It's against the rules…"

"Screw the rules."


End file.
